Building Creative Confidence ~ April 18, 2015

"Jill's workshop gave me permission to take time for myself and 

not feel guilty about it. It inspired me and got me going!" 

~ Sherry Houpt, Creative Oasis Coaching class participant

My passion is to help people give themselves permission to make the time and space in their busy lives for creative fun and fulfillment. You can imagine how thrilled I was to read the above quote from a satisfied student in a Dallas Morning News article. 

The article by Jamie Knodel went on to share: "For years Sherry Houpt, a Dallas artist, put aside her projects and art while she focused on her kids and art projects for her students at Shelton School. But creative coaching classes helped her reclaim time and energy for her own pursuits. She's since been in multiple exhibits and joined a collective of women artists."

Houpt also said that Jill's creative classes reminded her of lessons that she's been teaching students for more than 28 years: 

Creativity is a gift that should be used. 

Don't be too hard on yourself. 

And, put a priority on your own creativity.

I couldn't have said it better myself! And remember, you don't have to be an artist to be creative!

In my book your Creative Oasis can be so much more that art, music, writing or other traditional artistic outlets. It's any activity or experience that makes your heart sing and time fly. 

It could be gardening, cooking, yoga, dance, entertaining, comedy, reading, scrapbooking...you name it. Whatever puts you in that lovely creative "freedom zone" where you're fully engaged in the joy of the process...that's your Creative Oasis and I'm delighted to help you weave those experiences into your life on a daily basis! 

I hope you'll join me for my upcoming workshop, Building Creative Confidence, where I'll introduce you to some simple and effective ways to move past blocks like procrastination, perfectionism and overwhelm and into the flow of creative momentum! 

What:

Building Creative Confidence Workshop

When:

Saturday, April 18, 2015

1 to 5 pm

Where: 



Creative Arts Center of Dallas
2360 Laughlin Dr. 
Dallas, TX  75228

Cost:
$65 for CAC members
$95 for non-members
plus $10 material fee

*Note: This workshop is limited to 10 participants with
pre-registration required.To register call the Creative Arts
Center of Dallas at 214-320-1275 or visit their website at www.creativeartscenter.org

“I absolutely loved Jill’s workshop.  I learned how important it is to start with small steps. I’m more mindful and aware of new ways to acknowledge and incorporate creativity in my everyday activities. I'm inspired to give myself permission to get the crafty stuff out and use it.  It was like a massage for my mind! Thank you!”  ~ Denise R.

My Big (1,063-foot) Excuse for Dropping the Ball.

While visiting Paris last week (including a trip to the 1,063-ft. Eiffel Tower) I missed sharing a Mid-Week Oasis Moment with you for the first time in two years. I hope you'll forgive me. (Though I can't think of a better or at least more fun excuse, can you?) 

You've heard me talk about "exposure" before...the idea that by spending time with people, places and experiences outside of your normal day-to-day life you can fill your own creative well with fresh, inspiring stimuli.

Well, in my book, travel is the quintessential, king-daddy of exposure possibilities. 

When you immerse yourself in an unfamiliar environment filled with new-to-you culture, character and customs creative inspiration is one of the happy results.

During our week in Paris I found inspiration everywhere I turned. From the museums to the cathedrals to the architecture to the people to the language to the food and drink and even the general pace of life in the beautiful city energized and delighted me.

My creative spirit felt as if it were being rehydrated...a thirst-quenching glass of water on a warm spring day.

I'm sure I'll be processing the "exposure" of my trip for weeks to come and that my photos, observations and inspirations will find their way into more Mid-Week Oasis Moments in the days ahead. 

To help myself hold onto the effervescent feeling of life in Paris now that I'm home, I've used another creative coaching technique: acting "as if." 

For example, yesterday I made myself this lovely lunch to enjoy outside on my patio "as if" I were dining at a sidewalk bistro again. (Two important ingredients missing from most of my real Parisian cafes meals...bread and wine!) 

Nevertheless it was a fun way to recapture the spirit of the many lovely cafe experiences of our trip. I was even able to convince myself that the leaf blower that started up was merely the sound of Vespas cruising down a cobblestone street nearby.  

I invite you to think of ways you might use "exposure" and "acting as if" on your creative journey this week. 

You don't need to travel across the globe to find wonderful exposure opportunities. You can find plenty in your own city...museums, restaurants, parks...and even right in your own home...books...movies...magazines to name a few.

Until next time, all the best from my slightly jet-lagged, but very happy Creative Oasis to yours!

Jill

Jill Allison Bryan

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

P.S. ~ If you enjoyed this post please share on Facebook and twitter using the buttons below!  If you'd like to receive bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration like this Mid-Week Oasis Moments plus a free copy of my e-book "Permission to Be Creative 101" join me here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html.

Off To Paris With All My Heart!

Paris...City of Light...City of Love...place I'll go with all my heart (and my husband and daughter) this weekend to make a lifelong dream come true. 

But I'll be honest, along with the joy and excitement of my impending trip comes the shadow of overwhelm and worry. 

Thoughts like, "You're not packed yet!" and "You haven't stopped the mail or the paper yet!" and "You still need to pick up your euros from the bank!" and "You don't speak French!" jump around my mind like young, unattended children given espressos and free kittens. 

Once again I get to use the Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching methods I love so well to talk myself off the ledge.  Here are five I've used today alone as I prepare for my upcoming trip! How they might help you on your creative journey?

1. Quick Lists ~ Nothing helps calm me down faster than taking the whirlwind of thoughts twirling around my mind and writing them all down as quickly as possible in a list! (I visualize my overwhelming thoughts like the twister in the Wizard of Oz that Dorothy imagines after she's hit on the head.) Once I've written everything down and moved it from my mind to the page I can see it and instantly feel I have more control over the situation. 

2. Asking Compassionate Questions ~ What can I let go? What can I delegate? How can I make this more fun? How can I make this less stressful? Etc... Asking myself these kinds of questions helps me take action from a place of compassion rather than panic. 

3. Small Steps ~ "Pack" may seem like a small step, but I can actually break it down into eight smaller steps: check the weather in Paris next week...choose outfits...choose shoes...choose accessories...choose books...fold clothes...bring out suitcases...pack suitcases. This lowers the stress and makes packing easier. 

And going back to small questions if I ask "How can I make packing more fun?" I could listen to a podcast about Paris travel...I could light a candle...I could enjoy a cup of warm tea or a glass of wine while I pack. 

4. Mindsculpting ~ By taking a moment to close my eyes, take a nice deep breath and visualize myself snuggled on the airplane between my daughter and husband, reading a good book, enjoy a glass of wine and leaving behind my day-to-day schedule and worries as I fly across the ocean to one of what I believe will be my favorite cities in the world!

5. Credit Check ~ When I step back and take look at those scattered thoughts I shared above and think about what I've really done so far I realize though I haven't packed, I have everything I need. I've also added stop mail and paper to my list. I've ordered our euros and can pick them up from the bank today. And though I'm certainly not bilingual, I've been playing around with DuoLingo and learning a few French phrases for several weeks now...certainly enough to be polite and attempt to speak in the native language while ordering my croissants and cheese! 

Many of us tend to focus on what we haven't accomplished. That's human nature. Taking a minute to do a credit check (really a reality check) helps me release my freak out and feel much better about my situation. 

By using these same methods I use in my creative coaching, classes and workshops I'm already feeling much more peaceful about my trip. It's really amazing how quickly and how well these methods work! 

Do you feel overwhelmed when it comes to your creative dreams and desires? If so, I invite you to play with these creative coaching methods for yourself. I can tell you from personal experience (and the feedback of my happy one-on-one coaching clients) they work wonders! 

Well, that's all for now. I get to run to the bank to pick up my euros. 

Now I'm really ready to go to Paris with all my heart! 

Until next time, all the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

P.S. ~ If you enjoyed this post please share on Facebook and twitter using the buttons below!  If you'd like to receive bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration like this Mid-Week Oasis Moments plus a free copy of my e-book "Permission to Be Creative 101" join me here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html.

Be Well...Be Kind

Just a little reminder to be good to yourself and others today. 

Sent with love from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

P.S. ~ If you enjoyed this post please share on Facebook and twitter using the buttons below!  If you'd like to receive bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration like this Mid-Week Oasis Moments plus a free copy of my e-book "Permission to Be Creative 101" join me here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html.

Finding Big Joy In The Little Things

This tiny little Buddha brings me big joy several times a day. He hangs around (literally) on the mirror by our back door where I keep my car keys. 

His impish smile and peaceful pose give me an instant happiness boost as I come and go from home. He was the ideal candidate to share on the final day of my #100 Happy Days challenge. 

Click here to see the pinterest board I created to share the fun variety of people, places and things that made me happy over the course of 100 days. You'll notice that I actually posted 103 photos. This is because I'm a creative rebel and math is not my best subject.

In the coming week, what if you stay on the look out for little things that can bring you big creative joy?

For example, yesterday while getting dressed for a trip to the museum with my family I played with putting together new creative combinations of jewelry. 

News flash! Even the simple act of choosing which clothes and jewelry to wear can add creative fun and fulfillment to your day.

If you let yourself think outside the usual creative outlets of things like art, music and crafts what other little ways might you experience creative joy in the coming week?

Light candles for your dinner table? Listen to music and dance while you clean house? Try a new recipe? Set out some shells you've collected on a beach trip in a pretty bowl? What sounds good to you? 

This photo of a bowl filled with some of my favorite beach shells was day 99 of my #100 Happy Days experience. Even looking at the photo now is a little thing that brings me big joy.

Here's to finding big joy in little creative experiences in the coming week!

If you'd like to share a little something that brings you big joy in the comments below that would be lovely! 

Until next time, all the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

P.S. ~ If you enjoyed this post please share on Facebook and twitter using the buttons below!  If you'd like to receive bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration like this Mid-Week Oasis Moments plus a free copy of my e-book "Permission to Be Creative 101" join me here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html.

7 Ways to Love Your Life a Little More

Are you in love with your creative life?

If your reaction is "What creative life?!?!" we need to discuss the possibility of doing some one-on-one coaching together! 

In the meantime, here's something you can do on your own in the coming week. I invite you to ponder the prompts I've shared below inspired the Osho quote in today's Mid-Week Oasis Moment.

If you keep a written journal you may want to answer the questions each time you sit down to write. Observe if and how your answers change over the course of the coming week.

If you keep a visual or art journal you may like to create a page inspired by each question.

Or, if you like, you can click here to download this free printable I've created for you.

#1 ~ What do I love about my current creative life?

#2 ~ What might help me love my creative life even more?

#3 ~ What's one small, doable step I can take to set my answer to question #2 in motion?

# 4 ~ What's one easy, affordable way I can add some beauty to my life?

#5 ~ How might I enjoy a bit more music in my life?
       (Even if you don't think of yourself as musical.)

# 6 ~ How might I add some poetry to my life?
        (Even if you don't consider yourself a poet.)

#7 ~ How might I energize my life with dance?
       (Even if you don't consider yourself a dancer.)

I truly hope that these questions spark some ideas that will help you dive into some creative joy and love yourself and your life a little more! 

With lots of love from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

P.S. ~ If you enjoyed this post please share on Facebook and twitter using the buttons below!  If you'd like to receive bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration like this Mid-Week Oasis Moments plus a free copy of my e-book "Permission to Be Creative 101" join me here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html.

Joni Mitchell on Creative Freedom

I recently read "Joni Mitchell: In Her Own Words" by Malka Marom. The quote above lived on the back cover. I must have re-read those words a dozen times while the book held its "number one" status atop a pile of books on my nightstand. 

Her quote left me equal parts inspired and frustrated. 

The phrase "luxury of being able to follow the path of the heart" frustrated me because I could just hear people saying, "Oh sure, Joni Mitchell has the luxury of being able to follow her heart. She's a rock star!" 

Well it wasn't always so easy for her. In her youth when polio kept her in a hospital bed for months and she was told she would never walk again, Mitchell secretly rose each night to pull herself along the side railings to regain her strength. She was released when she shocked the doctors by showing them she was able to walk on her own. She then went on to become a dancer, painter and legendary singer/songwriter. 

Hers is a beautiful and literal example of using small steps to follow the path of the heart.

The truth is we all have the luxury of following our hearts. 

Sometimes it feels so much easier to blame our circumstances or other people or lack or funds or lack of time or (insert your favorite rationalization/excuse here) than to claim our creative freedom and engage in the creative experiences that make us feel alive! 

You may be thinking, "But Jill, it's true! I really don't have the time, money, energy, supplies (insert your favorite rationalization/excuse here) to enjoy these Creative Oasis Moments you're always going on about." 

What if you allow yourself to start right now, right where you are? 

In the most gentle, compassionate way possible I invite you to ask yourself these three small questions. I believe they'll help you open the window to let in that fresh breeze of creative freedom that makes you feel alive. 

#1 ~ What do I have in my possession right now that I can use to create? An especially great question if you tell yourself you need to buy things before you can begin enjoying your own Creative Oasis. How would it feel to challenge yourself to use some old creative supplies that sit waiting untouched in your closet or to start writing in one of those half-empty journals on your shelf? 

#2 ~ What's one way I spend time each week that I might trade for some Creative Oasis time? Perhaps you can swap 15 minutes of checking Facebook or Pinterest, watching mindless TV or reading your junk mail and sales emails as if they warranted your attention. (They don't!) (Check out my recent Creative-Free-Time-Treasure-Hunt Challenge post here if you missed it.)

#3 ~ What time of day do I have the most energy/time? What if I give myself 15 minutes of that part of the day to explore my Creative Oasis? If you usually feel zapped at the end of the day why not give yourself permission to enjoy some creative play in the morning or during lunchtime? What if this weekend you enjoy some creative play first and then tackle your chores. (They'll still be there waiting for you ~ I promise!)

Here's to believing your freedom to create is a necessity rather than a luxury! 

Does that feel a bit out of reach just now? 

Then can you practice believing it just 5% more? It's wonderful small step toward slowly and surely giving yourself more permission to enjoy the creative expression that makes you feel truly alive. (*Life's too short to make your Creative Oasis wait!)

All the best from my Creative Oasis to yours, 

Jill

P.S. ~ If you enjoyed this post please share on Facebook and twitter using the buttons below!  If you'd like to receive bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration like this Mid-Week Oasis Moments plus a free copy of my e-book "Permission to Be Creative 101" join me here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html.